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tv   ABC News Good Morning America  ABC  September 12, 2010 6:00am-7:00am PST

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good morning, america. i'm bianna golodryga. >> and i'm dan harris. this is sunday, september 12th. this morning, breaking news. iran reverses course yet again. and says it will release one of the american hikers there in jail. she is sick and time is of the essence. is this the final decision? storm forms in the atlantic overnight. the path is unpredictable. now, two more storms are forming behind it. we'll have the very latest. boiling over. protests erupt near ground zero and across the country as 9/11 demonstrators take to the streets both for and against the proposed mosque to be built there. and forgive and forget? one year ago, kanye west stole taylor swift's moment. now, she's written a new song about him that she'll be singing tonight on
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the video music awards. this is a story of fame, forgiveness, and, of course, publicity. and the drama continues, of course. this follows kanye's tweets last week, apologizing. >> did you read those tweets? >> we read them. we were talking about them here on "gma." >> unbelievable. >> lot of people will be watching that show tonight to see what happens. important news this morning. today, families will be allowed back in the california neighborhood leveled by a massive gas explosion. police now say five people are still missing and four were killed. our reporter toured the area. we'll have an up-close first look. just ahead. also, we'll have an amazing update from half a mile underground. our reporter is back in chile this morning. checking in on those 33 trapped miners.
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it turns out that they now have electricity, running water, phone, even tvs down there. >> internet access down there. amazing. and you may have heard this riddle -- man and his son are in a car accident. the man dies. the boy goes to the hospital. the surgeon says, i can't operate on this boy. the question is, who is this surgeon? what is the answer? how you answer this question says a lot about how you see the world. we asked adults and kids to see how they answer it today. and their answers really did surprise us. >> it's a fascinating story. i'm really excited to see that. and who says there's no more true passion in politics? check this guy out. >> if nominated tonight, i promise each and every person in this room, i will hit the ground running, come out swinging, and end up winning! >> that's phil davidson. he was running for county treasurer in ohio. when he gave that rather lively campaign speech. it was posted on youtube. now he's got half a million hits.
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he's here live this morning. and he's actually much mellower than you might think. he's got a pretty good sense of humor. i was just talking to him. . we'll talk to him live in just a few minutes. we're going to start with another about-face from iran. they said they'll release the woman being held there with her two friends. her lawyer says that could happen within two to three days. our jim sciutto has been following this all along. jim, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. a few days of enormous whiplash for sarah shourd's family. on thursday, the news that she was going to be released. then friday, news that the release was canceled. now today, something in between. she'll be released on bail, $500,000 bail. but the prosecutor is saying that still there's enough evidence to hold her for trial. she's allowed to leave the country, but possible pressure to come back to the country. her lawyer has met her and the other two hikers being held in iran. he said that all of them are in
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good health. but still a lot of questions. >> so, why would she go back if she's released? i imagine she would want to stay in this country and get the health care she needs. >> reporter: this could be a face-saving measure by iran. but, also, remember, there are still two americans in iranian custody. fattal and bauer. you can see them as hostages in effect. the message could have been delivered, whatever shourd does could effect their situation as well. >> this entire release has been caught in politics. mahmoud ahmadinejad, a man who has made his name by sticking his finger in the eye of america and other countries, he's the one that apparently wants to orchestrate this release. why is that? >> reporter: we're getting a look at the workings going on in the government. ahmadinejad making it into a personal spectacle in the last couple of weeks. he said she would be released due to his personal intervention. wanting to showers inny on a woman. he says also as a gift for the
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end of ramadan. he may want to be seen as the benevolent dictator. to show his power. and remember, he would still have two americans in his custody. he's not giving that much up in effect. >> jim, thank you. bianna? well, the fourth hurricane of the season is now moving through the atlantic. igor was upgraded to a hurricane last night. and it's forecast to become a monster. marysol castro is keeping an eye on it. she's here with more. >> good morning, everyone. as you mentioned, hurricane igor formed overnight. it's a category 1. a hurricane, packing 80-mile-per-hour winds. by wednesday, as you can see, it turns into a monster storm. category 4. packing 135-mile-per-hour winds. it still is in the open water. it's thousands of miles away from the u.s. when something this massive happens, of course, we like to keep an eye on it. in the tropics, two separate systems. one off the coast of africa. and then closer to home, we're
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keeping an eye on another system. if these develop into full-fledged hurricanes, they would become hurricane karl and hurricane julia. before that, of course, they could become tropical storms. as we watch the one closer to the u.s., we can see it's packing a lot of rain. it starts to move toward the coast of mexico, packing a lot of wind and rain for haiti and the dominican republic. we're keeping an eye on it for you. dan? >> thankry. this is the morning after perhaps what was the most divisive 9/11 yet. what is normally a show of public grief and memorials. we had dueling demonstrations. t.j. winick covered the protests and he has more from lower manhattan. t.j. good morning. >> reporter: dan, good morning. the politics of 9/11 anniversaries are usually about what should and should not be built here at the world trade center site. but, this year, it was all about the islamic community center and mosque, which has been a lightning bolt of controversy for months now.
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people from all over peacefully gathered at ground zero to commemorate the ninth anniversary of 9/11. >> donald james mcintyre. >> stephanie marie mckenna. >> reporter: nearby, the dueling rallies over the planned mosque and islamic center were anything but quiet. >> unity yes, racism no. >> reporter: in front of new york's city hall, there were many signs, but only one message. people demanding the building goes forward at the current site. two blocks from ground zero. >> islam doesn't equal terrorism. we can't let a handful of extremists turn us all into bigots. >> this is about respecting the constitution of the united states. >> reporter: just around the corner, the rally opposing the mosque was even louder and larger, covering more than two city blocks. teri bailey and her family came from philadelphia to voice their protest. >> i believe that this mosque is
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kind of stepping on a lot of people. >> reporter: late in the day, the opposing sides clashed briefly. >> my brother passed away. no. those are criminals. >> reporter: across the country, 9/11 observances were mostly respectful. though in phoenix, arizona, windows were broken and paint splattered on floors of a mosque currently under construction. across the world people opposed the mosque, like in belgium. while in eastern afghanistan, thousands screamed death to america and set shops and police checkpoints on fire. they protested the proposed koran burning even though that was called off two days earlier. now, pastor jones flew to new york on friday night supposedly to meet with the imam behind the proposed mosque. the park 51 project. jones was nowhere to be seen yesterday. whether the meeting took place or will ever remains unclear. >> and joining me from washington is host of abc's "this week," christiane
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amanpour. good morning. >> good morning. >> you speak with the imam quite frequently. has any of this changed his views? on building that islamic community center at ground zero? >> well, you know, he's talked about 9/11 and how everybody should mark the solemn and somber anniversary with prayer. he also has said he doesn't think moving the center in response to a threat to burn korans would be a good thing for american national security. he told me that he does not plan to meet with that pastor from florida. he does say he wants to meet with anybody who's interested in peace and trying to move the solution along. but, at the moment, has to time -- sorry, has no plan to meet with that pastor. no plan to barter the islamic center for by reason offing
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anybody's scriptures, he said. >> why was there so much confusion? one side said that they would. the imam came out and later clarified that. why do you think there's so much confusion surrounding that? >> the confusion erupted, coincidentally, as i was interviewing the imam. and the pastor in florida took to the air waves to declare that he received an assurance that his refusal now to burn the koran was in return for moving the islamic center. the imam said he had not made that promise. and that the equation was not a fair one any way. i think that is the center of the confusion. that the pastor in florida made that declaration without having any contact with the imam in new york. >> thank you for joining us. and, of course, join christiane later for her exclusive interview with the imam behind the islamic center and
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mosque near ground zero and also austan goolsbee. today, people in california will be able to go back to their torched neighborhood. to see if their homes are still standing. five people are missing, four people are dead. after that massive gas explosion. our neal karlinsky was able to get in to see that neighborhood for himself. >> reporter: at the site of the blast, investigators could be seen going over every inch of a 28-foot chunk of pipe that was blown a full 100 feet from where it started. the area around the pipe is a charred wasteland. google earth pictures taken before and after the blast show a neighborhood transformed. everyone describes it as feeling like an oven. you can get a sense of that right here. the way the paint bubbled up on the hood of this car and the way the windshield cracked from the intense heat. the dead include jacklyn gregg, seen here on a tribute page on facebook, she worked for the california public utilities commission, protecting consumers from dangerous pipeline expansion.
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>> that was my neighbor's place. two doors up. >> reporter: you're right there? where the chimney is? linda recognized the spot where her house used to be. in a photo we showed her from a brief media tour of the seen. she's lost everything. but is thankful any way. >> i can't be angry. i'm just happy that i'm not burned and that i'm alive. >> reporter: the ntsb's lead investigator said failure of the pipe itself is not necessarily the cause. they're looking at people who are responsible for monitoring the flow of the gas as well. >> drug and alcohol. did they have warrants? all the aspects of the people who are involved in the operations. >> reporter: people packed a town hall meeting held in a local church. they had a lot of questions for officials, especially pg & e. the pipeline's owner. >> now that the national transportation safety board's
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here, we're going to be turning over all of our records, all the information that they need. >> reporter: a cause won't be known for months. but some residents here will finally get a chance to return to what's left of their homes later today. for "good morning america," neal karlinsky, san bruno, california. >> incredible to see that car where that paint bubbled up. gives you a sense of how hot that was. >> and so many unanswered questions as to how that happened in the first place. >> absolutely. want to get to the other headlines this morning. go to ron claiborne. happy sunday. >> good morning, bianna. good morning, dan. i started to say john for some reason. good morning, dan. good morning, everyone. we begin with the death of six people in a shooting rampage in kentucky. a man facing eviction because of his angry temper killed his wife, stepdaughter, and three neighbors with a shotgun before taking his own life. he apparently became enraged by the way his wife was making his
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eggs. rescue workers could make to it the miners in six weeks. that is sooner than originally expected. in the meantime, as jeffrey kofman reports from chile, they're being provided with more services to help them cope. >> reporter: ron, it's now day 38 for the miners here. trapped under this mountainside. they now have modern conveniences that most of us take for granted. a new line dropped to them is bringing electricity, fresh running water, fresh air, and fiber optic communications. and they're being kept awake by day and night cycles. to give them a proper rhythm. but they're going to need all of these luxuries. authorities here emphasize it will be weeks and weeks before they can be rescued. there are plans a, b, and c. drilling operations. the ventilation shaft is down about 600 feet. that's plan a. it's going to have to stop. it has to change its drill head. plan b ran into some metal. in the old mine and that broke the drill head.
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it's not clear they'll be able to continue. they may have to start all over. the best hope, plan c. a massive oil drilling rig that's been brought in over the last couple of days. it now has to be assembled. that will take about ten days. when it's assembled, it is expected to tear through the rock. it should be able to reach the men in 40 days. they have to line it. then the men can be brought up. the best hope is that they'll come up sometime in november. ron? >> thank you, jeffrey. and the poverty rates in the u.s. has reportedly hit record levels. 15% of americans -- that's 45 million people were living in poverty in 2009. according to an associated press review of census figures. that will be released later this week. that was up nearly two percentage points from the year before. the highest single-year increase since the government began calculating those figures. and firefighters in colorado say they have finally been able to stop the spread of a large wildfire around the city of
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boulder. from spreading. flames destroyed 169 homes. the area is still dangerous. but 2,000 residents have been able to return to their homes. and finally, at the u.s. open, out in queens, a repeat champion. kim clijsters of belgium crushed vera zvonareva. i got it, finally, after two days. from russia. glad she's out now. to capture her second straight women's title. the men's final is today with rafael nadal facing novak djokovic who upset second seeded roger federer. i picked nadal earlier. but i think djokovic is playing very, very well. changing my bet. >> is that name harder to pronounce than mine? >> dan harris. >> thank you. very well done. i like that. >> we can all pronounce marysol castro's name. >> yes, we can. >> don't act like you all didn't screw it up the first six years. i went through torture here. >> hey, golodryga here understands. >> we weren't here.
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we turn our attention to the radar and the east coast. in the overnight hours, baltimore and d.c. saw their fair share of rain. and as we move into the northeast, the rain moves into philadelphia and new york. it won't be a complete washout. these major cities will see a few hours of some rain. we need it. i know the sunshine is beautiful. we need the rain. turning over to the temperatures. for this part of the nation. 68 in new york. 63 in boston. this is still actually below normal temperatures. it's not the only spot in the map that will see rain. the south, a few scattered thunderstorms. in south florida. and then in houston and morning new orleans, you could see rain.
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>> tha >> thanks so much. more on your sunday outlook later in the show. and i've moved closer to you. >> you are close. not that we ever do have fights. we would never tweet about them though. >> never. we keep our dirty laundry in the dressing room. >> not to say that that's what other celebrities are doing. and the mtv video music awards are tonight. in los angeles. everyone is waiting to see what goes down with kanye west and taylor swift at the video music awards. this year, she'll sing a song she wrote about him. and everyone is wondering what it will say. marysol, you have been following this. >> yes, but taylor, call me
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back, sister. i just want to know what the lyrics are. west is still apologizing one year later. now the question is, will it be a moment of forgiveness when swift sings her song? or will she slam the hip hop star? >> thank you so much for giving me a chance to win a vma award. >> but taylor -- >> reporter: it was the interruption heard around the world. >> i'm going to let you finish. but beyonce had one of the best videos of all time. >> reporter: kanye west stealing the spotlight from taylor swift during her acceptance speech at last year's mtv video music awards. >> he had to leave the awards. he went into hiding. for quite a few months. >> reporter: kanye did apologize on the jay leno show. >> it was rude. period. i would like to apologize to her in person. >> reporter: now, he's taken to twitter to apologize again. >> he said in his tweet that he wrote a song for taylor. he would love it if she would perform it. but if she doesn't want to,
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he'll perform it himself. >> reporter: but there are reports that she could turn the tables on him at the vmas. by performing a new song from her upcoming album "speak now" that takes direct aim at the rapper. >> a lot of people are saying that taylor is addressing the incident on her next album. so we'll have to see. >> nobody thought this would last. >> reporter: the vmas have long be home to show-stopping shocking moments. some scripted, like in 2003 when madonna locked lips with britney spears and christina aguilera. and some not. like when diana ross got to second base with l'il kim. will the drama continue at tonight's vmas? kanye will be there for a performance as well. but no word on whether kanye and taylor swift will perform together. >> a lot of people will be on the edge of their seats. waiting to see if she'll pop out and how kanye will react. >> i'm waiting with bated breath. to see happens.
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>> both of these people have albums coming out. so there's some publicity to be gained here. >> just a little. >> just a little bit. >> we'll be tweeting about it tonight. revisiting a riddle. how you answer one question says a lot about how you see the world. what's the question? what's the answer? and the rant that turned a small-town politician into a youtube star. today is your tast lucky day! sure, why not? isn't this the yogurt that, you know.../ helps regulate your digestive system. ooh, i think i'll pass., no, no, no! trust me.. it is beyond tasokay! mmm! wow! i can't believe it, i love it! new best tasting mmm,activia ever!ly good!/ taste it, love it, or it's free! ♪ activia i'd get this tightness in my chest. so i went back to my doctor again.
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one of my most favorite quotes in the history of the spoken word. and it is as follows, in the middle of opportunity, excuse me, in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. i'm going to repeat that. so i have clarity tonight. in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. >> okay. that rather impassioned politician is a guy named phil davidson, who was running for county treasurer. when he gave that speech. it's now become a youtube sensation. he's here with us this morning. we're going to talk to him. his speech has gone viral. he says he's surprised by the reaction. i got a chance to talk to him a little bit backstage. he's got a pretty good sense of
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humor. >> did he yell at you? >> no, he didn't. he's an enthusiastic guy. >> good morning, america. i'm bianna golodryga. >> and i'm dan harris. this is sunday, september 12th. and we're going to get into the riddle we talked about earlier. father and the son in a car accident, the father dies. the boy goes to the hospital, he -- the chief surgeon says, i can't operate on this boy. who is the surgeon? that's the big question that's been around for generations. we decided to get an update on this. we asked some school-age children. their answers will be surprising. >> actually, the answers are fascinating. what does it say about america that this september 11th was the most contentious anniversary yet? we're going to talk about what has stirred up all this anger and whether we, as a country, can move past it, coming up. but first, we want to turn back to ron. >> good morning, everyone. in the news, the on-again, off-again release of american
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hiker sarah shourd is on again. after failing to free her yesterday, the prosecutor in iran says she can now be released on $500,000 bail. and residents in san bruno, california, will be allowed back into their neighborhoods today. four people are dead, five are missing. and the pakistan flood crisis is putting expectant mothers at risk. many of them are cut off from urgently needed medical care. and finally, in lithuania, a race in high heels with both women and men participating. and man came in first. completing the 262-foot-long course in 12.5 seconds. the prize? women's makeup worth about $60. there's a quick look at the headlines. over to marysol. >> ron, i would never let you beat me in a sprint in heels, just so we're clear. good morning, everyone. in the midwest, it's pleasant but chilly. bismarck, 48. minneapolis, 54, feeling like fall as we move into the second week in september. by contrast, the west coast is really, really pretty today. 76 in los angeles. 92 in fresno.
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you're going see some patchy clouds in and around seattle. that's sort of par for the course. your daytime highs across the nation, salt lake, 81, washington, d.c., 76, boston >> thanks so much. this weather report has been brought to you by dairy queen. bianna and dan? we've just come through what may be the angriest and most divisive 9/11 yet. with demonstrations just blocks from ground zero, and an extremist preacher with a handful of followers who was able to get the attention of the white house and much of the muslim world. so how did we get here? >> we've brought in a couple of smart guys. john is a senior political
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columnist for daily beast. you used to be the speech writer for rudy giuliani. you were with him 9/11 and the days after. and mike paul, known as the reputation doctor. you've done some work in connection with 9/11. so, thank you both for coming in. here's the question for the table -- we've had eight other anniversaries. why has this one been so contentious? >> i think because we had the perfect storm going on right now. in our country. this is not just about politics. we have economics that are in a downturn. people that have a lot of fear in their life overall. but i think there's a lot of projection. i think this year had the perfect storm. brought in a few other folks we didn't expect, with this pastor coming out of nowhere. and jumping on an issue. he knew that there wasn't another side that point. the world watched. here we are. >> what does that say about our
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society? when you mentioned the pastor. that one person, relatively obscure, small congregation, from florida, manages to get the president's attention and the muslim world? >> that i think is an important question. in part, i think this is a media story. we helped create this guy out of nothing. that's one of the problems we have right now. demagogues always do well in an economic downturn. and that's part of what we're seeing right now. but we're fueling it with attention here. in this case, in the age of the internet, what happens in gainesville doesn't stay in gainesville. this guy obviously didn't end up burning the korans. you're seeing a lot of hate and anxiety. for me, the memory of 9/11 should be something that unifies this nation. that was one of the greatest things that came out of -- out of the 9/11 attack came an amazing sense of unity. it reminded americans that what unites us is stronger than what divides us. >> you wrote that -- you wrote
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on daily beast this is part of the joe plumber-ization. of american politics. what do you mean by that? >> what i mean is that we're elevating folks that become some symbols of prefab populism. we're taking folks, a big agenda gets attached to them, without necessarily any deeper significance. and what i think we do need to -- media or politics, we need to lead, not follow the crowd. in the internet age, have violence or sex and you'll get people's attention. it's tougher to get people to pay attention to solving long-term problems. we need to get people to do that. >> the leader of the country, president obama is getting a lot of attention. you're a crisis management expert. it's september 12th now. what would you advise the president to do? the economy is topic number one. we have elections coming up in a couple of months. should he revisit this topic and the mosque issue right now, past 9/11? >> absolutely. and one of the things that i
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would have counseled him very early on, way before just yesterday is, you have to walk your faith. you have people in the country and around the world who are still thinking that you're a muslim. you have to own that. you can't make believe it's going away. the republicans are already thinking about using it for the rest of the election cycle. it's that big. ironically, when he first came to the white house, he took about four weeks talking about what dog he was going to choose before he got into the white house. but he didn't think it was important enough to find a home church. that's a big, big deal in this country. we have a bible belt. we have people around the world looking fore. and he has not done so yet. if he were my client or i were an aide working for him, i would not let him leave the room without finding a home church and walking his faith on a weekly basis. at minimum. >> it's september 12th now. the anniversary has come and
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gone. do you both think that these issues are going to stay with us through the midterms? >> yes. >> absolutely. >> unfortunately. politics is about perception. this is not about perception. this is about confronting rising extremism. we need to stand up and call it out. and this should not be a partisan issue. >> the president, if he had done some of the things, it would not be as heightened as it is now. there would not be as many people thinking that he is a muslim. we would be seeing this perception of him walking into church, walking his faith. it's a big deal. >> you really think that with unemployment approaching 10% this is what the country wants to focus on? >> the country has decided, the world has decided it's important. and you have to listen to what the world is saying. >> fascinating discussion. thank you both for coming on. we'll be right back. nighttime nasal congestion meant, i couldn't breathe right.
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archie. i'm glad you're back archie. i'm glad you're back. i think i have the answer to the riddle. >> really? >> the riddle on "all in the family" caused a stir nearly 40 years ago. and it still makes people think twice today. the way you answer the riddle explains a lot about how you view the world. we decided to see if different generations have different answers.
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this riddle has stumped generations. a father and son are in a car accident. unfortunately, the father dies immediately. the son is rushed to the hospital where the head surgeon says, i cannot operate on this boy because he's my son. >> i feel like i have heard this one before. >> reporter: the question, who is the surgeon? >> i want to say it's a religious figure. >> reporter: this riddle became so widespread, it even made its way to the number one show of the '80s, "the cosby show." >> it's simple. the boy's adopted. >> wrong! >> reporter: the correct answer? >> the surgeon was arthur's mother. >> reporter: for many back then, the idea of a female surgeon never popped into their head. but that was 1988. has our perception of gender roles in professional life changed? we decided to ask the question today. and many adults still missed it. >> his father, right? >> like a father.
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>> like his father. >> i don't know. god? >> reporter: but how about kids? will they get it right? to find out, we went to the little red schoolhouse and elizabeth irwin high school. to ask 17 fifth graders just who they think the surgeon is. he's my son, so how is that possible? >> the doctor is the mom. >> the mother. >> the doctor is a woman. >> reporter: women can be surgeons? just like men can be? >> it really doesn't depend on your gender. it more depends on your skill. >> reporter: the majority answered correctly. that it was the boy's mother. >> that is a generational thing. they understand that boys and girls can be whatever they want. there's no difference. >> reporter: but some were still stumped. >> the boy had two dads. >> i kind of agree. >> well, i agree with them. >> reporter: the correct answer is that was the boy's mother. the mother was the head surgeon. >> i think, well -- wow. >> reporter: your mom's a doctor.
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>> yes, she's an anesthesiologist. i just wasn't thinking that a female would be a head surgeon. >> usually, there's a tv show. and there's doctors. but they're mostly men doctors. >> reporter: one of the boys who guessed it was a male surgeon has a mother that is a doctor, in a hospital. >> his exposure to hospital hierarchy might have led him to answer the way he did. the kids don't know anything about statistics. all they know is the gender socialization they've gotten from home and from school and from television. >> reporter: and there was one answer that came up repeatedly that surprised us. >> the other father. >> there's two fathers. >> there's two dads. >> so i clarified, the boy has two dads. a stepdad or something like that? >> no, maybe they're gay. >> reporter: or together. after talking with these bright students, i found one thing they
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all had in common, even if they answers the riddle differently. do you think girls and boys and men and women are more equal now? >> yeah. a long time ago you would never see a girl cop. >> it doesn't matter what gender you are. it's who does the job better. >> nobody is better. than another person. everybody is equal. >> how smart and bright were the kids. >> that was an incredible -- that was a great story. really interesting. >> talking to the kids. the girl that guessed it was a mother, she said she used a clue when i said it's an old riddle. she watches old movies with her parents. they said times were different then. she just assumed that old meant that men and womewere >> my mom is a doctor, my wife is a doctor, when you asked me this riddle yesterday, i didn't get it. >> my mom didn't get it. and i didn't even think they could have two fathers an not be a stepdad. >> also incredible. >> wonderful children. coming up, meet the local
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politician turned youtube star, phil davidson. ocean spray -- tastes good, good for you. like the cranberry, the pomegranate is a superfruit, prized since ancient times. he would know. [ snickering ] also available in light and diet. if you could see how nature made fish oil protects your heart, you'd be glad you take it. its omega 3's strengthen your cell walls so they stay flexible. and nature made fish oil is the number one recommended by pharmacists. nature made. glad you took your vitamins. time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze... my eyes water. but now zyrtec®, the fastest 24-hour allergy relief,
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we've been talking about we've been talking about this all morning. here's the picture. you're one day a town councilman in minerva, ohio. a very small place. you're just trying to move up in the political world by becoming a county treasurer. the next thing, you're an internet sensation. it happened to phil davidson. and this is why. >> i have been a republican since -- and now is the time to seize this opportunity. with an aggressive campaign and an even more aggressive campaigner. let's send a message tonight to the people of stark county and to the people of the stark county democratic party! we're tired of business as usual! drastic times are call for what? drastic measures, yes, who said
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that? thank you! >> phil wanted to send a message. his message was heard. we flew him out here. >> thank you. thank you. good morning. thank "good morning america" for having me. >> when you watch this video, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? >> it's raw. it's rugged. it's real. i'm an emotional, passionate person. i wear the emotions and passions on my sleeves. and i wouldn't change a thing. >> on the video, you seem angry or upset. but in person, you're anything but. >> i know. thanks. people are saying that there's a polarization. in the delivery of the message i'm this fired up speaker. when i come here today, i'm more laidback and having fun. and, yeah, so i can see why there is some confusion. >> would friends and family say this is typical of how phil acts when he's heated about a topic? >> yes, some would. probably. that's the way he gets around
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the house, maybe when the browns are losing or something like that. that's the way he gets around the house. most people would say i'm an introverted, passive guy. at times, i can become extroverted and active. >> are you surprised that you didn't get the nomination? >> i was. yes, i was surprised. we had a vote. i didn't get it. that's the irony of this. people are saying that you gave this fire and brimstone speech, you had to get the nomination. we had a vote, i lost. >> you definitely got everyone's attention. but you hadn't heard of youtube before this. >> no, no. >> tell me. how did you know this became a big sensation? >> i woke up about half a day after the speech. about 10:00 a.m. on thursday. the speech was wednesday at 6:00. i went to bed that night, thinking it was business as usual. thinking the next day would be thury, i somebody saying, you're blowing up, you're viral. i said, what is
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i thought it was virus. you're international, man. the calls just started coming out of the woodwork. people started knocking on the door. the bbc called, ap. cbs. >> and just to confirm, you didn't have a cup of coffee before you went on? >> no i didn't. no. >> excellent. natural energy. >> people say i should be a carnival barker. a baptist minister. >> it was a pleasure to meet you. than r co cfpo >> i appreciat >> natural energy works well in >> i try and stay positive. >> i see a future for you. thank you very much. we'll be back in just a second. appreciate it. is clinically tested rogena clinical se to undo the look of a year's worth of skin aging in just 4 weeks. do-overs do exist. [ female announcer ] new clinical skincare. neutrogena. #1 dermatologist recommended brand.
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thank you for joining -- oh, you know, why don't you take it away? >> that's right. thanks for watching "good morning america." thanks for abc. i want to send a shout out to jimmy kimmel. thank you. please keep watching this show. keep on rocking in the free world. god bless america. áááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá
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